Andhra Pradesh "caretaker" govt remains only on paper

With Andhra Pradesh on the verge of a division, the "government" in the state exists only on paper after a notification issued by the Governor and is non-existent for practical purposes.

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned from his post on February 19, protesting bifurcation of the state.

Immediately, Governor ESL Narasimhan sent a report to the Centre on Reddy's resignation and reportedly recommended imposition of President's rule in the state. The Governor waited for two days for any communication in response to his plea from the Centre but with nothing forthcoming, he formally issued a notification on February 21 accepting the resignation of the Council of Ministers.

In a separate notification, the Governor asked "Kiran Kumar Reddy and his colleagues in the Council of Ministers to continue in office till alternative arrangements are made", which has made the situation tricky. Kiran Reddy not only resigned from the Chief Minister's post but also from the Congress party. Four or five of his Cabinet colleagues too announced they were leaving the ruling party while about 30 others, cutting across the regional divide, continue to remain in the Congress.

Now, the Chief Minister is unwilling to function even as the so-called "caretaker". He has relieved all his official staffers, including IAS officers, from the Chief Minister's Office and also vacated the official bungalow. "He is not even taking daily briefings from us," a top bureaucrat pointed out.

But, many of the "ministers", particularly those from Seemaandhra, are said to be upset over the current situation. Though they "technically" remain ministers, officials are unwilling to take orders from them anymore. Sources said a day after the Chief Minister resigned, a key minister sought to push a 100-acre land deal in favour of a private major engineering company, but the Principal Secretary concerned refused to oblige.

Another minister wanted alterations in the city master plan in his native district, to enable certain land transactions, but the District Collector negated the proposal. The minister then knocked on the doors of higher authorities concerned in state Secretariat, but to no avail.